A great deal of emphasis is placed in the modern work place to make it more efficient and safer. As the need grows to do more with less, many of the old time methods and machines are being replaced with more efficient and cost effective ones.
As the cost of hardwoods continue to rise more and more shops are turning to sheet goods as a more cost efficient method of making their products. However the standard sheets of panels are of such size and weight that the rigors of moving them in the shop makes their economy less attractive.
There are carts designed to carry large panels but the size, weight and cost of these carts make their appeal limited to large shops that can justify their monetary cost and have the luxury of extra space for storage and loading. These carts are also designed to carry a multitude of sheets at once. Since only one sheet at a time is usually needed, and only one sheet can be cut at a time, the capability to carry multiple sheets can be a moot point.
Because of the cost and space lost by these large carts, many shops will move panels by hand with two men. However, this method not only doubles the man power needed compared to a cart, it increases the chances of back strain and injury. In very small shops one man could simply try to drag the panel to where it needs to go. Besides being slow and awkward, this method damages the panel and is usually interrupted by a phone call at the most inopportune time.